Schooled
by Juniper Night
Summary: The Titans are on a covert mission to identify the civilian aliases of Jump's younger criminal population. Their mission will lead them to the source of all evil - Highschool. Aside from the usual metas, they'll meet the endowed Children of the Red King.
1. School Search

"Titans, report to the ops room immediately. I repeat, report to the ops room immediately."

Raven opened her eyes with a flash of annoyance at having her meditation interrupted. However a feeling of apprehension quickly suppressed the annoyance – something seemed off about Robin's tone – and so she quickly left the peace of her room and made her way to where the rest of the team was gathering.

"Got any idea what's goin' on?" Cyborg inquired when he met up with her in front of the doors. Raven just shrugged in response as the doors '_whooshed!'_ open, before floating over to where Robin and Starfire already stood. Several moments passed before Beast Boy finally joined them and Robin opened his mouth to speak.

"Dude! There's a massive wave of zombies coming to end the world, isn't there!" Beast Boy exclaimed, waving his arms wildly.

One could have heard a birdarang snap open, such was the silence as the other four titans collectively turned to stare at Beast Boy.

Robin cleared his throat, and bravely continued. "Um, actually, the mayor has asked us to covertly infiltrate the school system to…

"Say what?" Cyborg exclaimed.

"He wants us to go to school." Robin said, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "There's a new group of metas, and the mayor wants to make sure they're on our side. There's also reason to believe that most of the H.I.V.E. Academy's old students, and many of the younger super villains are leading double lives. Have you noticed that Angel, Kitten, Punk Rocket, and a lot of others never attack during school hours?"

"Dude, didn't we just fight Punk Rocket yesterday?" Beast boy whined, desperate to prove Robin's theory wrong, so that he didn't have to go to school. But Robin pointed out that the attack had been during lunch hour. Of course, that didn't mean they'd come quietly.

Starfire had to be assured that normal schools didn't have hypnoscreens or vengeful school property. Cyborg wanted to know what school he would be going to. Upon hearing it was a technical institute, he helpfully noted that Beast Boy was probably just afraid of embarrassing himself in front of civilian girls. That left only one titan, who hadn't said a word the entire time. As the other three titans headed for their rooms, with varying degrees of excitement, the team's darkest member continued to stare mutely into her mug of tea.

Robin sighed before sitting down next to Raven. "What do you think about all this?" He questioned her.

Raven turned to face him, violet eyes seeming to pierce through his mask as she said icily "There's a bit of a flaw in your plan. 2,000 students in the same campus, each with raging hormones, worrying about tests, dates, and learning how to drive. I'm an empath, Robin. I get a headache whenever we pass Jump City High, 90 yards away from the road. Exactly_ how_ did you expect that to work out?"

Robin froze, dumbfounded. He'd forgotten that Raven was an empath, forgotten how hard it was for her to suppress her emotions and keep her powers under control with just the four of them spread throughout the tower. Now what was he supposed to do?

"Um… I was hoping you would know how to resolve that?" He tried. All he got from that statement was a glare that made him glad looks couldn't kill.

"Okay, okay, sorry, I forgot about your empathy, but the mayor made me promise, what was I supposed to do?"

Raven knew very well just how tolerant of them the mayor had been thus far. There was probably a fund set aside for 'City Property Broken by the Teen Titans in Battle.' She also knew that if Robin allowed her to man the tower while everyone else went on the mission, neither of them would ever hear the end of it from Beast Boy. There was nothing else she could do. Shoot.

)o(

A few hours later found Raven researching the schools in the Jump City School District. There were about a half dozen high schools listed on the website, each of which seemed to be at or beyond maximum capacity, with the one possible exception being the technical institute Cyborg was expected to attend. Noticing a (rather small and out-of-the-way) button for schools within the zone but not affiliated directly with the public School Board, she found a much longer list of potential schools. Rejecting a couple all-boy schools, tech magnets, and religious based institutes she found herself hovering over one that sounded familiar. Morvan's Academy… where had she heard that name before? A quick search yielded many results, ranging from online news articles to reviews and blog posts. Skimming through each sites description and a couple of the articles, she deemed it safe to believe two things; Morvan's was a school for geniuses - namely those gifted in art, music, and drama – as well as a center point for many strange happenings in the area. Raven narrowed her eyes, printed a couple of the news articles, and closed the internet.

)o(

It seemed that no matter how many years passed, Raven would never get used to waking up. Invariably she was disoriented, entrapped within her own sheets (assuming there were sheets to be had), and covered in blood, sweat, or tears - sometimes a combination of the three. However, today she mused that perhaps her nightmares were useful after all – useful to her, not Trigon. She had an hour and a half until Robin woke up and bee lined for his 6 o'clock coffee. In the meantime, she intended to investigate Morvan's first hand.

It took all of ten minutes to shower, brush her teeth, and brush/cut her hair. She had already started to drape her cloak over her shoulders when she paused.

'_This is supposed to be a covert mission', _she reminded herself. Reluctantly, she hung her cloak back up and stared at the small collection of civilian clothes Starfire had persuaded her to purchase. Honestly, she hated the dead, restricting feeling of muggle clothes, especially on her legs, and considered wearing shorts. But she also didn't like people _looking_ at her. In the end she compromised, wearing her leotard under loose capris and a hoodie to hide her, uh, more notable features. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she realized she had absolutely no civilian footwear. Shrugging, she made a note to get some before school started, and padded to the roof barefoot.

Staring at the city, it only took a moment of thought before she found herself in the very alley she had seen Starfire's crash landing on Earth before the beginning of the Teen Titans. Turning away from the road, she began to traverse through the dimly lit alley ways, weaving through the shadier, more familiar – familiar to her - half of Jump City. Aside from the occasional drunkards, who looked as though they hadn't even gone to bed the night before, she didn't see another waking soul until she emerged in Chinatown. Already, many restaurants, markets, and bakeries were preparing for the day. Breathing deeply, she allowed herself to appreciate the more or less quiet that she knew would be broken in little more than an half hour. Then she refocused on her little excursion, crossed the square with its growing amount of tai-chi-doers, and did not stop until the buildings became noticeably older – the Jump City Historic District. Raven had been here on several occasions to buy books, but that didn't mean she knew the area very well. The houses and shops she passed now were an unfamiliar assortment of 1800's architecture mixed with that of the early 20th century, a result of the 1906 earthquake.

Except for this street.

Not a single building on Calaveras Street looked as if it had been rebuilt after its neighbors or given somewhat makeshift repairs. As if to alienate it farther, the whole street emanated a rather morbid aura, and reeked of magics whose origins Raven could not place. In short, if she was looking for a place of strange occurrences, this was a better lead then she could hope for. The street was cobbled, narrow, and meandering, eventually opening up to a broad square with a cathedral like building at one end, which Raven could not help but eye wearily. And there, at the end of one of the roads attached to the square, was Morvan's Academy. It was a large, vaguely gothic looking building, built of stone with arches, towers, and turrets. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Raven slipped once more into the shadows and allowed them to encompass her.

)o(

**Alright, so this is my first fanfic, and reviews are extremely welcome - that includes flames as long as they are not completely senseless. This is going to be a crossover between Charlie Bone and Teen Titans, but for those not familiar with C.B, it's no big deal because Raven isn't going to Bloor's Academy. For those who have read the series, you may remember the Hundred Heads gathering, where Morvan was one of the four or five headmasters whose names were briefly mentioned. Some of Jenny Nimmo's characters will appear, in later chapters. I will not begin the next chapter until I get a good review, so _por__ favor _click the button!**


	2. Back to School Weekend Sales Event

**This chapter is dedicated to Necronom Hezberek Mortix, my sole reviewer and the reason I was able to write this without going against my word, Timballisto and Ar- Ru-Vista-frelia-frame, who expressed interest in seeing where this went with another method, and the roughly 28 people who've read this.**

**)o(**

`Delany opened her eyes. The small flames topping each of the many candles circling her seemed to flicker once collectively - as if a breeze had just passed through, yet the windows were all closed. Some magical breach perhaps? An intruder? Whatever or whoever it was, Delany intended to find out. Rising slowly to her feet, she glanced around the circular room before walking to a large wooden table. Various tubes, distillers, and burners covered half the table top, while the other half was obscured by an assortment of chemicals and powders. Delany mixed a few substances together in a small metal bowl, before placing it in a claw-like stand. Casually flicking a flame to life, she took out a hollow glass sphere which she placed above the bowl. Taking a seat, she peered intently into the sphere as gases rose from the bowl to fill the hollow interior.

Inside, she saw the hazy silhouette of Morvan's Academy in the dawn light, familiar shadows sweeping across the grounds. However, there was one shadow that seemed out of place, somehow darker than the others. And it was _moving_. Delany's eyes narrowed as she watched it circle her family quarters in the East tower, and the turret she herself was in at that very moment, before it sped off down Calaveras street. She followed the trail to the edge of Chinatown before it vanished. With the aid of the seeing glass, she combed through the settlement for another sign of the moving shadows, but all she found were Hawkers, tourists, and tai-chi-doers.

Oh well, strange happenings had a way of resurfacing at Morvan's. She'd just have to wait. It wasn't like there wasn't plenty for her to do in the meantime.

)o(

It was almost seven o'clock when Raven finally left the square and returned to the tower – in a normal, walking, civilian fashion – and so she almost missed seeing Robin before he went to the training room.

"Hey, Raven. What you doing out so early?" Robin asked, folding his newspaper, and looking at her civilian clothes curiously.

"Tai-Chi"

Behind his mask, Robin raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

Raven permitted the smallest of half smiles, but ignored his question and stated instead, "I found a school."

Now Robin was really confused. Hadn't she lectured him, not twenty-four hours ago, about why school was such a bad idea? Just when you thought you understood a girl…

"Which one?" was all Robin asked.

"Morvan's Academy. It's essentially a school for artistic geniuses, but there seem to be a few students who are gifted in more… uncommon ways."

Robin frowned and picked up the newspaper again "I just read something about it in the paper..."

"I don't doubt that."

"I'll get you the papers than. But just out of curiosity, what does that have to do with _tai-chi_?"

"I was doing a bit of reconnaissance, when somebody sensed my presence, and I didn't want them to recognize me, so I merged with the crowd of people in Chinatown."

"Oh. And you lost your shoes in the process?"

Raven might have blushed if she were a normal girl. As it was though, she wasn't normal, which was why-

"All I own are Combat boots, so I didn't wear any shoes. A lot of the people weren't wearing shoes though, anyway."

Robin laughed "I'm sure Starfire would be glad to remedy that."

"Don't remind me," Raven groaned, putting a hand to her forehead. She could feel the beginning of a Tamaranian-chatter-induced headache already.

"I need to go meditate."

)o(

Raven sat on a small stool, gazing with a vaguely thoughtful expression at her own reflection. It had been a while since she'd made a 'second' identity, and even longer since she'd had the chance to actually plan said identity ahead of time.

_Someone reserved, shy, and self-conscious would be ideal_, _since there's no way I'm going to suddenly become a chatterbox, _Raven thought._ That would also allow for fewer slip-ups… and maybe give an excuse for my lack of facial expression - of course, I'll still have to show _some_ emotion, but that doesn't mean I want to wear my heart on my sleeve. I should be polite to some degree too, but not a complete goody-two shoe. And then there's the question of appearance… _

"Raven? Are you ready to accompany me to the mall of shopping?" Starfire asked, her ever-cheerful voice slightly dimmed by Raven's door.

"Sure, Star." Oh well, she'd just figure out hair color later.

)o(

The entire team had to go to the mall, but only Cyborg and Raven had to get uniforms, so with a relieved expression on her face, Raven walked with Cyborg in the opposite direction of Starfire, Robin, and Beast Boy. A middle aged clerk greeted them when they entered the uniform shop. He didn't recognize either of them, since Cyborg was wearing his holo-ring, and Raven looked like she was just another punk. It was amazing what a hair tie, some fake piercings, and a black hoodie could do for you.

"I'm going to Madison Tech" Cyborg told the clerk.

"Yes, that would be right over here. And you ma'am?" The man asked.

_Psh, ma'am_. That term did not fit her as Raven, and it certainly did not apply in her current guise. "Do you carry Morvan's Academy?"

Was it just her imagination, or did his smile falter for a moment? "One second, ma'am. Alice! This young lady needs a uniform for Morvan's!" A young woman, presumably Alice, looked up at the clerk's call, and hastily put the box of empty hangars she was carrying behind the counter. Then she turned and beckoned for Raven to follow her towards the back while the clerk led Cyborg somewhere to left of the store.

"Are you in Art, Music, or Drama?" Alice asked, pulling a key from her belt and opening a door that said 'STORAGE. EMPLOYEES ONLY.'

Raven thought fast. Music was out; her violin was too recognizable, and she wasn't sure she wanted to be surrounded by so much noise all the time. Drama would be confusing; she'd be pretending to be a person pretending to be a person, and she didn't do drama anyway. Which left-

"Art." Alice nodded, sized her up for a minute, and then disappeared behind the door. When she appeared again moments later, she carried a green cloak.

"Here you go. Counter's that way."

Before Alice could disappear again, Raven said "Wait!" Alice paused and leant against the doorframe. "Is this all I need for my uniform, or do I have to wear a polo or something?"

"That's it." Alice confirmed, and then she was gone.

Back at the checkout counter, Cyborg raised an eyebrow at the green cloak in Raven's hands, but she just shrugged. He himself was carrying an armload of navy pants and white polo shirts with small emblems on the chest. As they walked out, he decided to voice his thoughts.

"Interesting uniform you got there."

A nod.

"Can't say I'm all that surprised."

A shrug.

"Sooo, what, are you gonna learn how to wave a wand and cast spells?"

"No. I've already gone to a school like that."

A long pause.

"You want to just walk around?" This time it was Raven who started the conversation. "It looks like I'm going to need some civvies after all. And shoes."

"Sure." Cyborg started to follow Raven, but then he paused. "Aren't the others that way?" He asked.

"Yes, but you have a few screws loose if you think I'm going shopping anywhere near Starfire. I need sneakers, not heels. Come to think of it, you probably need sneakers too." Raven stated, before continuing to walk the way she had been headed.

Cyborg cracked a smile, and together they walked as far away from where Starfire was as possible, which was good, because at that moment she was trying to convince Beast Boy and Robin to buy matching pink shirts.

**)o(**

**A/N - This might be just me, but I think that scene-dividing-doohickybober looks way cooler in bold... **

**Anywho, I could write about how bummed I was when no one sent me a review asking to 'update soon,' but I did that enough to a bunch of TMAU (Temporary Mental Alternate Universe) versions of ya'll, so instead I'll just ask if there are any villains in particular that you'd like to see. Or any errors I made - the usual you know. I wouldn't mind some critique. And in case you're wondering about the TMAU thing, it's what I do when I'm down, 'cause I'm just a pacifistic nerd-geek-outlier like that, who doesn't explode at people in school or slap at the mosquito-flies when I want to.**

**~Juniper**


	3. Monday Morning

**A/N ~ Dedicated to the memory of my Grandpa.**

Raven bit back a curse as Beast Boy knocked on her door and ruined her concentration. From the small vial in her hand, an extra drop of stewed mandrake found its way into the solution she was creating.

"Ohhh, RAVEN! Time to get up! We got school today!" Raven scowled, and put down the vial. Stalking to her door, she opened it enough for one eye to peek out at Beast Boy. He hadn't yet changed out of his pajama pants and his still-green hands were tugging at the hem of his shirt.

"I've been up for more than an hour Beast Boy; if anyone on this team is running late it's you. So do me a favor and let me get ready without any more interruptions," She growled out in a low voice. Beast Boy gulped and nodded, then ran towards Cyborgs room to get his holo-ring. Raven watched him for moment before letting the door close itself and turning back to the bubbling concoction she'd just added too much mandrake too. There wasn't enough time to make more though, so she'd just have to go with it. Cautiously, she picked up a small eye dropper from her dresser, and placed the nozzle into the potion. Once there were a couple drops inside, she tilted her head back and let two drops fall into each eye. It was disconcerting, watching the droplet dangle for a second, millimeters above her cornea. But she made herself wait until all four drops were in, before blinking hard.

When she opened her eyes again, the irises were brown on the inside rim and green on the outside; Hazel. Originally, she'd been going for brown, that ambiguous color present in every corner of the globe, but hazel would do. Still, she'd better not make any more mistakes.

The skin had been much easier to change, since muggles and wizards alike seemed to worry about their tans, so she had been able to buy some ready-made powders. She hadn't used much, and as such the change in her skin tone was barely noticeable, but it was enough to make her look human. And the nice thing about it was that it lasted, so she wouldn't have to reapply the stuff every night. The jewel on her chakra had been fairly easy to hide as well. All she'd really done was smear some clay – the riverbed kind, which was literally as common as dirt – on her forehead until one couldn't see the slight elevation of the jewel.

She'd already packed clothes and basic school supplies the night before, and her clothes were laid out, so now all she had to do was dye her hair… Sighing she floated to a medium sized cauldron in the center of her room. The potion had steeped all night, so it should be ready. Raven levitated a bit higher, shifting her position so that she was lying straight as a board on thin air, before lowering herself so that most of her head was in the coffee like liquid. When all of her hair was submersed, she closed her eyes and began to meditate in preparation for what was sure to be a trying day.

)o(

Robin had been the first one to arrive in the kitchen, followed by first Cyborg, then Raven, and finally Beast Boy and Starfire. He had to admit to himself that he wouldn't be able to recognize them if he hadn't known who they were already. He himself had merely thrown on some civilian clothes and sunglasses, skipped the hair gel, and been good to go, but for them there were many more obstacles on the road to appearing normal. He was reflecting on this when he heard a small, muffled sound that surely meant everything around him was merely an illusion and he was, in fact, being held captive by some villainous foe.

"Did you just _giggle_?" He sputtered, addressing the petite brunette who was making tea beside him.

"Maybe," Sort-of-Raven replied, still not quite managing a straight face. It occurred to Robin that perhaps she wasn't trying to maintain her usual mask, perhaps she was already in character.

"Are you gonna tell us why?" Beast Boy asked, staring at her like all the other occupants of the kitchen.

Raven glanced in Beast Boy's general direction, though her gaze was not high enough to be eye level. Finishing what she was doing, she said casually "Oh, it's nothing… Aberzombies," and left the common room, tea mug in hand.

Looking down on themselves, Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy all realized that they were each wearing shirts labeled 'Abercrombie and Fitch.' Leaning on the counter in his crisp white polo shirt and snappy navy pants, Cyborg smiled in amusement as Robin declared "I'm gonna go get a jacket."

)o(

"Ahh, you must be Ava Nevar, our new student. I am Dr. Morvan, your principle," A tall, waxy-looking man with greased black hair and a neatly trimmed goatee stated. His voice was cold, his gaze calculating.

"Nice to meet you," Raven prevaricated, shifting in her chair.

"Could you describe your previous education?" Dr. Morvan asked as he shuffled some papers.

"I was homeschooled." And it's true; the monastery where she had been taught _had_ been her home.

Dr. Morvan frowned, no doubt realizing the implications of that. "What grade were you in before you came to Morvan's?"

"I don't know," Ava~Raven shrugged.

Dr. Morvan sighed, signaling that she'd probably just confirmed his fear. "Very well then, I'll need you to take this test to determine your grade level. Afterwards you should report to the art tower. I will send someone up to meet you before first period to give you your schedule. Good day, Miss Nevar." And like that, he was out the door.

Raven realized her mouth was slightly open, and quickly shut it before turning to stare at the thick paper booklet, the scantron, and the silver #2 pencil in front of her. Tentatively, she opened the booklet and began to answer the questions inside.

Grammar, literature, and vocabulary were no problem, and Raven was pretty confident about her answers to most of the science questions too. Math, however, was going to be a major issue. It wasn't that she was bad at math; she knew dozens of theorems and postulates, and she could find the surface area of any prism… she just couldn't do it in English. Or in any earthly language for that matter, since all of her schooling had occurred in Azarath – a separate dimension, with separate languages, and a number system which was based off seven, not ten.

So while she could count reasonably well, she had to translate numbers into Azarian before she could multiply them, and then she had to convert them back into English. And then there were all the symbols mixed among the long strings of numbers. And, because the English language didn't have enough idiosyncrasies, whoever wrote this test had to mix _letters_ with the numbers and the symbols.

_Azar have mercy_, Raven thought. She answered the questions that she could, mostly the word problems or the ones with thoughtfully provided diagrams; but it was impossible to work backwards without a deeper knowledge of the math, so in the end Ava just bubbled 'c.'

With no further instructions to go by, Ava left the testing materials on the desk and journeyed into the corridor. Dr. Morvan hadn't given her directions to the Art Tower, but the main entrance wasn't far, and it seemed like a good place to start. A short walk later, she found herself in a large, open room. To her left was the corridor she had just come from; to her right, an identical looking corridor. Behind her was a huge set of double doors which served as the main entrance – and exit, when it wasn't barred shut like it was now. On the wall in front of her were two arches, one of which had a trumpet and violin inscribed above it, while the other displayed two carvings of a bipolar mask; Music and Drama, she assumed.

She decided to go right.

The hallway was lined on either side with classrooms. Some of them were empty, but most contained at least a solitary teacher, bent over a stack of papers, or a small group of instructors sharing gossip over coffee. Just as Raven was considering _actually asking someone for directions_, she came across a spiraling stone staircase. Reasoning that she was looking for a tower, Ava began to climb.

**)o(**

**A/N –Prevaricate; to lie, fib, mislead. Source: My Art Teacher (?) I've given you the setting, and the disguise (the pseudo-heroine,) but I think I'll wait to introduce you to the rest of the cast. The more reviews, the more compelled I will feel to update. Otherwise I shall choose to write about sneezes and violin-offs :)**


	4. The New Kids part I

**A/N: When you read this, pay attention to the whole Raven-or-Ava thing. I regard them as two different people. And to be frank, it's confusing the Limbo out of me ;)**

**Disclaimer: I'm really bad at remembering to do this, but then again, isn't it obvious? If I owned Teen Titans – or Charlie Bone – this wouldn't exactly be fanfiction.**

It seemed Raven had located the correct tower, for when she reached the first landing she found a partially open door, from beyond which came the low chatter of students who were deeply engrossed in their work, accompanied by the steady whirring of a machine, and the occasional thud or wet smack. _That must be where they make pottery,_ Raven guessed. She had made pottery before, but it had been plain and utilitarian, not the sort of thing one would make in front of gifted potters on her first day of school.

So Ava continued to climb the stairs. The second room she came to was filled with cloth, beads, threads, yarn, and even looms. There was no way Raven was stepping foot in there, so up another flight of stairs Ava went. As she reached the third and final landing, she noted that it was the quietest room of the three she'd seen so far. Tentatively opening the wooden door, Ava poked her head through the small opening. A forest of easels and canvas greeted her.

"Hello," said a girl who was painting at a nearby easel. "Are you new?"

"How'd you know?" Ava asked, stepping just past the door frame.

The girl smiled "You looked kinda lost. And besides, there are only about a hundred art students anyway."

"Is that all? Seemed like there was more this morning in the hall," Raven commented

The girl threw back her head and laughed, a wild tangle of long red curls following the motion. "You would get that impression from the morning rampage. Of course, you do realize that only the kids in green are in art, right?" Ava had barely nodded before the girl continued. "I'm Anja, what's your name?"

"Ava," she said, shaking Anja's hand. Anja glanced at the clock, before turning back to Ava.

"There's only a few more minutes of class left, and I think Mr. Smyth is upstairs with the carvers, so you might as well just hang out here 'til the bell rings."

Ava set down her bag and watched as Anja turned back to her painting, a beam of light striking the surface of a small pond, somewhere deep within a forest. The trees were, as yet, shadow less, and the monochrome ground bore a curious resemblance to the texture of canvas, but there was no denying that when complete, it would be a brilliant painting.

Raven was just beginning to fidget with her cloak – it was so different from her blue one, the material was rougher, and there were slits to put your arms through – when suddenly the air was full of the sound of a single B flat being played over the intercom. That must have been the bell, because Anja jumped when she heard it, and her hands flailed outwards for a moment, as if they were looking for something, before landing at her throat. With a practiced flourish, Anja produced a pair of glasses from her collar and primly placed them on her nose with a little start, as if the world were somehow brighter then she recalled.

"Huh. You seemed taller as a blurry blob. Then again, most people do." Neither Ava, nor Raven, knew how to respond to that, so she just nodded.

"So where to? Do you know what your first period class is?" Anja asked, hastily washing the ends of her paintbrushes, and putting the paint tubes into a cabinet.

Ava shrugged. "Dr. Morvan said he'd send someone with my schedule before first period, than he just left."

Anja giggled "Ooh, I bet he swished his mysterious black cloak as he left. He gave you the full Dracula effect for sure!"

Ava never got a chance to respond, for at that moment, a voice from behind said "Girls! I'm astonished to hear you talking about your principal like that! Everyone knows Dracula had a cooler accent." Both Ava and Anja sighed in relief as they turned to see a cheerful young woman smiling down at them.

"I think I'd recognize that wild red hair anywhere, so _you_ must be our new student," the woman said, looking first at Anja and then turning to examine Ava. Her spiky blond hair, pale complexion, and light blue eyes made her rather distinguishable as well. "Technically, I'm Ms. Thompson, but you might as well just call me Sandra like everyone else. What should I call you?" she continued, staring curiously at Raven.

"Just Ava," came the subdued response.

"Well, 'just Ava', this is your schedule. If you don't know where your next class is, just ask a teacher or a friendly looking student. Before lunch, all the students are required to go into the field and run laps for half an hour. After dinner, you'll need to report to the King's Room to complete you homework. Now, come on, I've got to get back to Mrs. Valkner, or she'll have my head for not helping with the wigs."

"Wigs?" asked Anja, sounding amused.

Sandra huffed in exasperation. "Toni somehow managed to cause a whole shelf of wigs to fall, and now we've got to fix the shelf and untangle and brush all the wigs."

"Ava and I've got the same class together; I'll show her where to go. You help Mrs. Valkner," Anja volunteered. Ava couldn't help but feel there was some sort of ulterior motive, but Sandra bought it and said -

"'Kay, see ya!" before she was out the door. Between Alice, Dr. Morvan, and Sandra, Raven was starting to become just a _bit_ tired of people briskly leaving all of a sudden.

The moment she was out of sight, Anja turned to her with a raised eyebrow which Raven promptly returned. "The King's Room? You didn't tell me you were one of the endowed."

Raven was confused "Endowed?"

"You know… do you have any _odd_ talents?" Anja asked, looking at her meaningfully.

"Oh. _That_." Ava said.

"Yeah, 'that.' I'll ask you what 'that' specifically is later. In the meantime… well the caretaker's got a cane, and he's not afraid to use it on kids who are late to class."

)o(

"So you're my new locker mate?" Beast Boy looked up to see a boy with curly blond hair and thick glasses.

"I guess so," he said straightening up and finding, to his surprise, that the other boy was exactly the same height as he was. "I'm Logan Gardner"

"Noah Marino," said the boy. "So did you just move here?"

"Yeah, I moved from South Africa." He responded

"Woah, Africa? Really?" Noah exclaimed in surprise, taking in the tan skin and many highlights that Cyborg's holo ring had provided. At Beast Boy's nod he continued. "That's so cool! Were there lions and elephants?"

Beast Boy nodded proudly "My parents worked at a game preserve. We had all of the big five; the elephants, lions, rhinos, cape buffalo, and leopards."

"A game preserve?"

"It's like this giant fenced in park. It's to protect animals from being hunted or poached," Beast Boy explained, waving his arms around enthusiastically.

"Cool… Did you play video games sometimes?"

"Dude, of course I played video games!" Beast Boy cried. "My cousin sent me new ones every Christmas."

"Nice," Noah commented. Next to him, 'Logan' heard someone say 'Woah, look at that chick! She must be the hot new girl everyone's been talking about!' Beast Boy turned around and saw Starfire walking down the hallway towards him, staring intently at a piece of paper in her hands and occasionally glancing at numbers on doorways.

"Funny how you two transferred here at the same time," Noah noted.

"Dude! That's my cousin!" Beast Boy said, glaring in the general direction of whoever was talking about Star that way. _If Robin heard you…_ Beast Boy wisely decided not to continue that thought.

Meanwhile, Starfire had stopped in the middle of the hall, and was staring first at the paper, than at the closest room number in utter confusion, when a girl with brown pigtails approached her.

"Hello, you must be new here! My name's Lily, what's yours?" said the girl.

"What? Oh, I'm - Andrea. Do you know where Mr. Maud's classroom is?" Starfire asked quickly, hoping to pass the hesitancy off for nervousness. Come to think of it, she was feeling some of 'the jitters.'

Lily smiled "Sure, I'll show you how to get there," she said tugging on Starfire's wrist as she expertly wove through the crowd.

)o(

English had been easy, almost ridiculously so. The teacher, Mrs. Reed, was going to be on maternity leave soon, and so she was trying to rush them through Romeo and Juliet as quickly as possible. It was actually somewhat entertaining though, even if everyone there had obviously read, seen, or acted in the play at least once; all the drama students immediately volunteered to do this character or that one. It was particularly amusing to see Tybalt in a purple cloak with a bubblegum-pink bob.

After English, the entire student body had been funneled out of a back door and into the Field, a large, hilly, fenced in area that was covered in itchy grasses and weeds. Anja tugged on Ava's arm and led her towards her right at a very slow pace.

"If we walk slowly, all the other kids will pass us. Then you can tell me what your endowment is," she muttered in a low voice.

"Mm-mm, I'll tell you, after you tell me," Raven stalled. She didn't feel like sharing yet.

"It would be better if I showed you what I do. And unfortunately, I can't show you until after dark," Anja said persuasively.

"Then you'll just have to wait until then," Ava laughed.

Before Anja could reply, a tall, Asian girl with short black hair sprinted over to them from somewhere up ahead.

"Hey, Anja! Why are you way back here?" She asked, skidding slightly as she changed direction and matched their pace.

"Morning to you too. Charlotte, meet Ava. Ava, meet Charlotte," Anja said.

"Hello Charlotte," Ava said politely.

With a lopsided grin Charlotte shook her head. "Call me Charlie," she corrected. Charlie's grin was infectious. Perhaps it was because Raven had loosened her restraints on her emotions that she found herself genuinely smiling back as she nodded. "So, are you actually an Artist, or are you a weirdo like Anja?"

Anja shouldered Charlotte playfully, so Raven assumed that the jest meant no harm. Not wanting to be left out, Ava responded humorously, "I thought all artists were supposed to be weird, but yes, I am also weird in a similar way to Anja." This earned her a laugh from both girls. Still, the fact that she had been asked that question by both of the students she'd met so far made her wonder if that was a standard question for new kids at Morvan's Academy. At least it was better than being asked 'where did you transfer from?' She had a cover story, but she didn't particularly want to go into detail about it.

Without warning, the same B-flat bell resounded through the Field, and the students began heading back inside.

"Come on, we've all got history with Dr. Bloor together."

**A/N – Wow. It only took 4,885 words to get to Raven's first day of school, + another 1,048 to get to BB and Star's first day. I didn't really want to use any of their 'real' names (the official aliases used by cannon, anyways, seeing as Kori Anders is not Star's real name) since then, if they were exposed, it could lead to trouble, especially in the case of Grayson and the dynamic duo. Besides, Cyborg didn't go by 'Victor' at H.I.V.E, he went by 'Stone.' (a nod towards his real name, but not actually it.) By the same token, I'm going to slightly alter their pasts, and probably throw in a bit of **_**The White Giraffe**_** in BB's case. I'm not saying that what they're saying is true, just that that it's true for their cover. **

**On another note, YES! **_**Classic**_** has finally gotten more views than **_**I'm not a Vampire!**_** Though it has long since had more reviews. This fic has the second to last amount of views (the last is void because the stats went offline when I published it) and yet it has the highest review rate; about .0308219178082192, so thanks everybody!**

**... Sorry. I may be a geek, but I'm also a nerd. And it's science fair time, which means data analysis - wooh! :P**

**Review por favor~**


	5. The New Kids part II

**A/N – I'm having problems with my shift key, and Words insistence that 'Raven' is not a proper noun, and therefore should not be capitalized, **_**is not helping**_**. Special thanks to my reviewer, as well as to people who favorited / put on alert this story. :)**

Dr. Bloor was a tall, broad shouldered man with a neatly clipped mustache and ashen gray hair. He studied the children contemptuously, with small, beady eyes that exactly matched the black of his staff's cloak, as they walked into his classroom. When the last student had walked in, he reluctantly stood up and addressed the class in an authoritative tone.

"Today we will be learning about the Age of Enlightenment. You will begin your reading on page 319, and you will continue to read all of chapter five, sections one through four. When you are finished, you will complete the chapter review, answering all twenty-seven questions with complete sentences. I've written these instructions on the board, so ignorance is not an excuse. Absolutely no talking. Begin." Raven noticed the strong British accent, and wondered how he had wound up in Jump City on the opposite end of the world. Whatever the circumstances, by the way he talked, he was clearly used to being in charge.

Raven skimmed through the material, but it was all just a basic overview of information she already knew from her own reading. She answered the questions easily, and then flipped to the beginning of the book to see what she had missed. When she was about halfway through learning about the Quakers, she felt someone nudge her arm. Turning, she saw Charlotte grinning at her mischievously, a folded up paper in her hand. Glancing quickly to make sure Dr. Bloor wasn't watching, she took the note, and proceeded to have a doodle war with Anja and Charlie. Ava had never seen a funnier looking stick figure, and Raven had never felt more normal.

)o(

"Mr. Gray," Ms. Stickler, the stern Geometry teacher at Bayview High, addressed Robin. "Sunglasses are not permitted in school, except occasionally on field trips. Take them off, and read the Student Dress Code in your agenda before tomorrow."

Robin mentally swore, scrambling to find a good excuse. "I broke my glasses, Ms. Stickler - I need these to see. I'm getting new ones, but they won't be ready till tomorrow," he pleaded.

Ms. Stickler pursed her lips, but as it was only for one day, she decided to let it slide.

)o(

Lunch was an uneventful Sloppy Joe and milk. Spanish with Señora Solsona went well. She knew the vocabulary well enough, and she even had a good handle on the pronunciation thanks to Mas y Menos. However, it was nice to really learn the correct grammar. Science was a lesson on cellular structure with an eccentric old lady who insisted everyone call her by her first name, Gloria. She was the only teacher who not only made Ava introduce herself in front of the class, but also made everyone sit down on the floor to do so. A couple of the students looked vaguely disappointed when she said she was a painter, as if they had been expecting something else. At least after that embarrassing introduction she knew the names of a couple of her classmates, and unlike Dr. Bloor, Gloria was very enthusiastic about her subject – perhaps a little _too_ enthusiastic.

Finally they reached the last class of the day, and the subject that Ava had quietly been dreading.

"You have math with Mrs. Goode?" Anja asked, slowing her pace to see if she had read the schedule correctly. "But she teaches fifth and sixth grade math," Anja said, almost to herself. Seeing the expression on her recently acquired friends face, she quickly amended, "It's alright, I don't do very good in math either. I'm barely getting a C. Just go down the hallway and turn left, and you'll find her classroom. I'll meet you outside at the end of the period."

Ava mumbled thanks, and headed in the direction Anja had indicated, while Anja herself went to Algebra.

Mrs. Goode's classroom had pink filters over the fluorescent lights, giving the room a cottony, foggy effect. Ava found herself being grateful for the fact that she was so short. As it was, there were at least five kids who were taller than her. Mrs. Goode herself was a plump young woman, with curly dirty blond hair, friendly brown eyes, and a facial structure which reminded Raven of that of a young forest elf.

"Hello, hello! Are you Miss Ava Nevar?" Mrs. Goode asked, beaming as if Ava was a favorite grandchild she didn't see often enough. Ava nodded curtly, looking anywhere but into Mrs. Goode's face.

Mrs. Goode continued on in a way that suggested she was immune to other people's negativity. "Welcome to my math class, Ava. I hope you like my pink lights. They're supposed to make people calmer and more focused." She nodded again. Raven was well aware that pink lights were meant to calm; they used the same lights in prisons.

While Mrs. Sunflowers-and-Daisies hustled to the front of the classroom, Ava slunk to the very back row, and took the closest desk to the door. The first fifteen minutes of class were spent grading the weekend's homework – which Mrs. Goode assured Ava she would not have to make up. They then proceeded to do a lesson on fractions that sort of made sense, but was utterly lost on her without a basic understanding of the operation symbols and a familiarity with the numbers themselves. Raven's complete lack of comprehension was starting to make her feel depressed, when suddenly, Ava's least favorite class became worse.

"Ava, you've been exceptionally quiet this whole period. I don't believe I've heard so much as a peep out of you this entire time. Perhaps you'd like to show the class what you can do." Mrs. Goode proclaimed.

Ava's eyes widened. _No, no, no nononononon-_ "Here, come up to the front, sweetie," She smiled. It was not a deniable request. Ava pushed herself up on shaky arms, and walked slowly through an aisle of desks and chairs that, despite the pink lighting, was somehow reminiscent of a gauntlet.

Picking up a black expo marker, Raven watched helplessly as her math teacher wrote out the equation in green;

3/5 * 9/10 = -4/9 _x_

Ava stood there, staring blankly at the problem. Behind her, she could hear her classmates start to snicker.

"Av-?" That wonderful B-flat note suddenly resounded through all of the hallways and classrooms, coming to Ava's aid. Before anything else could be said, Ava had packed up her plain black messenger bag, and fled with the rest of her classmates.

)o(

As soon as she and Beast Boy were out of sight of their new high school, Starfire pulled Beast Boy into an alley. Sparing no time for conversation, they pulled off their civilian clothes and Beast Boy took off his holo ring, revealing the uniforms they'd been wearing underneath. Shoving the discarded apparel into their backpacks, Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl, and they both took off towards Titans Tower.

Neither Robin, nor Cyborg, had arrived home from school yet, as they had probably not been in as much of a rush. Thankfully Beast Boy and Starfire did not have to wait long, as both the camouflaged R-Cycle and T-Car pulled in at about the same time.

"Finally, you're here!" Beast Boy exclaimed, jumping towards them with his arms raised.

"Yeah, nice to see you too," Cyborg said lifting an eyebrow.

"What's up?" Robin asked, lifting a brow of his own over his sunglasses.

"Friends, Mad Mod is our new professor of English!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Seriously? _Mad Mod_?" Cyborg and Robin said in unison.

"Yeah, that's what I thought when I saw him too," Beast Boy admitted.

"He might still be at the school. Beast Boy, do you think you can find and trail him?" Robin asked.

In response, Beast Boy saluted, before promptly morphing into a peregrine falcon.

Starfire watched him fly off for a moment, before looking around and noticing a darker bird's absence.

"Robin, where is Raven?"

"She's not coming, remember?" Robin reminded them as he turned and headed towards the elevator.

"Say what!?" Cyborg bellowed.

Robin stopped walking and turned around, puzzled. "She didn't tell you? Morvan's Academy is a boarding school."

)o(

"So what do we do after class?" Ava asked Anja, who - true to her word - had met her outside of Mrs. "Goode's" math class.

"We have a half hour in the dorms – to unpack, and use the bathroom and stuff – before dinner. After that, it's two hours homework, and forty-five minutes to curfew," Anja explained.

Anja was happy to find out that Ava was in the same dormitory as Charlie and her. Apparently, Raven would be spending all her weeknights in the foreseeable future with eleven other girls, for there were six small beds on one side of the room, and six on the other, each with a wooden chair in front. Crammed between them were twelve dressers. On the left wall was a single window, dressed in plain beige curtains, and on the right a door led to a conservative, hotel-sized bathroom. Before Raven could think about what that would mean as far as meditation was concerned, a small, fuzzy red object tackled Anja.

"Anja!" the little girl cried gleefully.

"Sheesh, Kaja!" Anja replied, trying to recover her balance as well as her breath. "I do live with you, you know." Turning as much as she could with a person around her waist, Anja made introductions. "Ava, this is my sister, Kaja. Kaja, meet Ava. She's the newest wacko around here."

Ava covered her mouth with her hand for a moment, stifling giggles. "I can see the resemblance," she stated, studying the mass of frizzy red curls, the startlingly green eyes, and the myriad of freckles. They even shared the same slightly arched eyebrows. It was a good thing that Anja's nose was straighter, and Kaja's mouth wider, or else it'd be impossible to tell them apart when they were older.

While Anja went to use the bathroom, Ava found her duffel bag – Weedon, the caretaker, must have brought it up while she was taking that test – and began unpacking. She was joined by a bouncing Kaja.

"I'm eight. How old are you?" Kaja asked

"Fourteen and a half," Ava responded, bending to open the drawer of the cabinet –which was really more of a nightstand, if she thought about it - and depositing a few t-shirts inside. Actually, she was fairly certain that she was sixteen or so in Earth years, but small, inconsequential differences like age helped her put distance between Ava and Raven, and distances were good sometimes, to remind herself who she was playing.

"You're the same age as Anja!" she exclaimed.

"I suppose I am. Do you think you could move your cloak? It's stuck in my bags zipper… Thanks." As she tugged the cloth of Kaja's cloak free, Raven noticed that it was blue, and not green.

"Blue means music, right?" She asked, letting the corner of fabric slip through her fingers.

"Yep, I play violin," Kaja stopped bouncing then. Soon, Anja and Charlotte both appeared, and the four headed downstairs. Ava did her best to remember the route they took to get to the large cafeteria; but when she finally got there, she had to admit to herself that she knew her way to the cafeteria no better than she had before they'd made the trip. Raven had been so caught up in trying to remember where she was going, that she didn't notice the increasing number of cloaks and colors until she was already inside the cavernous dining hall. Unlike lunch, which had been held in a room beneath the art tower with about half of the other art students, dinner was at the same time and place for every art, music, and drama student, with all of the staff members present as well.

While the actual presence of walls and other physical barriers did little to block her empathy, not being able to see or hear a person gave the illusion of said person not being there, and thus dampened the effect of the person's emotions on her own. But when Raven walked into the cavernous room, the emotions of _hundred_s of minds slammed into the barriers surrounding her mind, forcing their way through the resulting cracks. For a moment, Raven lost herself in a torrential ocean of feelings: misery, annoyance, love, anger, anxiety, guilt, happiness that was not her own – all came pouring in, until with an almighty shove, Raven forced it out and re-erected her mental shields.

The whole episode had only lasted a moment, and so when Raven returned her focus to the external world she was still falling – until, suddenly, she wasn't. Ava looked up to see Charlie's hands on her upper arm.

"You alright?" Charlie asked

Ava nodded, and Charlie let go, though she kept an eye on Ava until they had gotten food and sat down. She did try and talk for a little, but the constant press of emotions on her hastily erected blockade forced her to go into a light meditative trance. Her eyes were still open, and she still sat and ate her food quietly, she was just oblivious to her surroundings. Her friends assumed she was day dreaming, so they let her be until it was time to leave.

Apparently, the cafeteria was underground, as after they climbed a flight of stairs and went through several different hallways, they ended up in front of the entrance doors again.

"See ya!" Charlie called as she crossed the hall.

"Where's she going?" Ava asked, turning to the older of the two red-heads.

"Homeroom, to do her school work," Anja said. Belatedly, Raven remembered that the King's Room was somehow associated with the 'endowed' children. And so, up several more flights of stairs they went, until they reached what must have been the top floor of the main building. After passing through one last hallway, they finally reached their destination. A Hispanic boy in a purple cloak, a few paces in front of them, was just opening a large black door, and he kept it open long enough for them to pass through.

"Thanks, Toni," Anja mumbled.

Raven was vaguely disappointed when she walked into the King's Room. The walls and floors were still made of the same gray stone and sturdy wood as the rest of the building, although the room _was_ oddly circular. A large, circular wooden table took up most of the space, and around it were eleven exceedingly average chairs. A single painting adorned the otherwise undecorated wall, depicting a dark-skinned man in a red cloak. Four of the chairs were empty, and Anja and Kaja quickly claimed the only two which were next to each other. Toni claimed a seat between a guy with curly, sand colored hair and a wiry-looking boy of African descent, leaving Ava to sit next to identical, china-doll faced twins, and the boy with the sand-colored hair. Beyond the twins were three other girls; a plump, cheerful looking girl with curly hair, an ashen, thin girl with black dreadlocks, and in between them a brunette who studied her with stormy gray eyes. Some of them introduced themselves – the boy next to her was Xander Maessen, Toni was actually Antonio Chispas, the African boy was Aden Wesley, and the cheerful girl was Dorcas Loom.

Before Ava could introduce herself, the girl with stormy gray eyes cut in "That's enough introductions. Get out your homework, Nevar."

Antonio rolled his eyes, shot a friendly glance her way, and said humorously, "Lay off her, Delany."

Delany looked up from her textbook and replied "You too, Chispas."

Raven allowed herself to frown slightly, but she pulled out her books and started her homework. She breezed through her symbolism chart for English, and the Spanish worksheet wasn't so hard once you got past the weird grammar. It was math that continued to stump her. She decided to translate the numbers to the Azarian system first, so that she could figure out the symbols and operations without having to worry about what the value of the numeral was. It was strange, how her Azarian two-tens-and-three became seventeen. It was no use, she might as well just put it in binary and see how that helped her, because in the end, all Ava could do was guess at the meanings of everything and the laws which applied to each operation and equation. Having finished her homework, Ava found herself with nothing to do. She'd brought books, but she'd left them in the dormitory. So she decided to look more closely at the man in the painting.

Most of his features were somewhat blurred, but his eyes remained clear, glittering, black and intelligent as they gazed warmly at the onlooker from beneath a golden circlet. He looked… noble, somehow. Perhaps he was the king from which this room got its name. The paint was beginning to crack, but one could still make out the two signatures in the bottom right corner - while the painting was old, it was probably a reproduction of an older one.

At last the bell rang, and they began their trek to the dormitories again.

)o(

The small bathroom was crowded, as twelve girls needed to brush their teeth and such before curfew. Luckily for Anja, Kaja, and Ava, the King's Room seemed to be closer to the dormitory than any of the classrooms, so they got in and out before it became too crowded. Ava was sitting on her bed, trying to coax the brush through her now-long hair, when she experienced a moment of déjà vu. Just outside of the bathroom, a girl was humming a very familiar tune as she brushed her teeth with a faraway look in her eye. Her hair was black, her skin snow white, and her brown eyes were so dark, you'd never see the cat like pupils if you weren't looking for them. Ava waited patiently until all the other girls were out of the bathroom, and the girl was almost done. Casually walking into the bathroom as the girl spit out her toothpaste, Raven asked in a monotone "So, how's KF?"

"Eh, cheeky as ever, I suppose. I swear I can't get him to answer me serious-" suddenly she whirled around, staring at Ava with wide eyes. "_Raven?_" she sputtered.

"Hey, Jinx," was the calm reply. Before Jinx could say anything more, Anja entered the bathroom, and started washing her face. Eyes darting towards her every couple seconds, Jinx quickly rinsed her mouth and exited the bathroom. Anja seemed happy that Jinx had left. As soon as she was out, she inconspicuously closed the door with her foot. Ava raised an eyebrow at her, but Anja just grinned.

"Watch," was all she said.

Suddenly, the lights went wonky. Ava swore she could see the different wavelengths separate themselves from what had once been a boring white light. Over the course of a few seconds, the bathroom was filled with dancing lights in every color of the rainbow. Anja tilted her head slightly, and the spectrum shifted to fiery reds, oranges, and yellows, before morphing again to watery blues, greens and violets.

Anja grinned again. "I can manipulate light waves."

**)o(**

**A/N- Dun dun DUNN! You asked for her, you got her. Jinx is now an art student at Morvan's Academy. Betch'a didn't see Anja's endowment coming. No one thought she was a werewolf or anything, I hope :) **

**Any who, I'm convinced that with the possible exception of the last 342 words, you will find this chapter as boring as limbo. I promise the next chapter will have some more action in it, but in the meantime, do me a favor and **_**REVIEW! **_**so that I can know what to do better. Seriously, I spent four solid days on this (and I just got back from conference, too) so please spend just 40 seconds *gives pleading stare* Otherwise I'll just do my English homework and keep my stories to myself… ppfffft! Ye Gods, I can't even take myself seriously, but review anyways **_**por favor**_**!**


	6. Adapting

**A/N: Dude… I'm on chapter six already? Wow. NHM, I hope you're still reading this, because that action you wanted's in here.**

Raven stared at the display of light. She had seen villains and superheroes made of bright electricity. She'd seen some of her fellow Titans produce light, some by turning into fire, and others by morphing into bioluminescent creatures. But she was fairly certain that in her entire hero career, she'd never seen someone actually _manipulate_ the light waves once they left that person's body.

"… Wow" Ava said softly, turning away from Anja and examining the lights on the walls and the shower curtains. She didn't even see her shadow anywhere.

"Well, a deal's a deal. What can you do?" Anja asked, letting the lights go back to normal.

Raven hesitated slightly, but she turned to face Anja. "I'm an empath." Ava watched Anja puzzle over her statement for a moment, like she had heard the term before but couldn't quite place it. "It means I can sense other people's emotions."

Anja's face brightened. "Really?"

Ava nodded. "Kaja guessed what we were doing in the bathroom, and she's curious – probably about what my endowment is and how I react to yours. Charlie's… just happy… and kind of hyper. I don't know why, or what she's doing. Something with music I think…"

"She's listening to Hatsune Miku, she does that before bed a lot," Anja explained. "Keep going," she encouraged.

"There's a group of girls by the window, and one of them's feeling all self-important because she's got particularly juicy gossip that she's about to tell all the others, who are growing impatient -"

"Malari Malone, for sure."

"- And there's a grumpy old woman walking down the corridor towards us…"

"Matron! Quick, get in bed." Anja ordered, switching the bathroom light off, opening the door, and shoving Raven in the general direction of their cots.

"But I haven't changed y-"Ava started to protest.

"Bed!" Anja insisted with another shove. "Matron's coming!" she whispered loudly. Suddenly the dorm was in a flurry of motion, but almost as soon as it had started, the frenzy was over, and everyone was lying very still in bed. A moment later, the door creaked open, and a wrinkled old hand snaked through the crack.

"Lights Out!" a voice declared, and the hand swatted the light switch, before snaking back out the crack. With a slam, the door was closed again, and the room was immersed in total darkness.

Raven sighed and rolled onto her side. She couldn't actually sleep with so many people in the room – there was too high a chance that she'd have a nightmare and wake the whole dorm – but she could go into a light meditative trance. It would sap away some of her energy, but she could always recharge on the weekends.

)o(

Raven woke up early the next morning, taking a brief shower and putting on fresh clothes before anyone else was awake. She brushed her teeth, combed through her annoyingly long brown hair, and put it in a bun again. With nothing else to do, she read a book for a while. At about eight, she, Anja, Kaja, and Charlotte went down to breakfast, and by eight forty-five they were on the third floor of the Art Tower. Apparently, there was a loft above them, a fourth floor where sculpting with wood, rock, and metal was done. It was to here Charlie went happily bouncing off to, while Ava assembled an easel next to Anja.

Anja continued to paint her forest scene with the beam of light, and Raven found an already stretched canvas to start on. She was in the middle of her sketch when she finally met the head of the art department, Mr. Smyth.

"You must be our new student, Ava Nevar! Do you mind if I look at your work so far?" Ava nodded and took a step back, allowing him to step closer to the easel. Mr. Smyth looked over the sketch appreciatively. There wasn't much to it yet – the outline of a branch, a feather floating in a downward spiral, and a single wing preparing a not-yet-there bird for landing – but Mr. Smyth smiled. "This is a great start! I see you've randomized your feathers, and that's very good, because nature. Is. Random! I can't wait to see this as a painting, great start, great start…" He moved to look at Anja's painting next. Ava heard him ask Anja something, and then he carefully lifted the canvas.

"Class! I have an announcement! Look at this canvas; what do these paint strokes tell us about Anja?" Somewhere in the back of the room, someone tentatively raised their hand. "You, sir!" Mr. Smyth called.

"Anja painted half of those strokes yesterday, and half today?"

"Good Guess!" Mr. Smyth exclaimed happily. "Anja is using her soul! And that's what I want _all _of you to do – PAINT WITH YOUR_ SOUL_!" He shouted the last bit as he placed Anja's canvas back on the easel.

"Mr. Smyth, I don't have a soul!" A boy with curly black hair cried.

Mr. Smyth whirled on his heel, and pointed at him. "I know _you_ don't have a soul… draw with your kidney!" He ordered.

As Mr. Smyth moved on to some other part of the room, Ava shuffled a little closer to Anja. "Is art always like this?"

"Yep," She chirped cheerfully.

)o(

With the exception of lunch – there was something _hard_ in her chicken patty on bun – most of the day passed quietly - too quietly.

It happened in between periods, right before math class. Raven felt a vibrating right next to her left ankle, where she'd bound her communicator with medical tape under her sock. The moment Anja had disappeared from sight, Raven ran back across the entrance hall and up the stairs to her dormitory, where she sat on the bed, pulled off her sock and shoe, and wiggled the communicator from its bindings. Johnny Rancid was attacking the city again. Either he was too old for school, or he was skipping. Muttering to herself in Azarian, Raven quickly changed into her uniform, and with a quick glance to be sure she was still alone she teleported to the top of a skyscraper in the middle of downtown. From that height she could see the bright flashes of light that gave Johnny's position away, and she flew to a closer building, peering over the edge to see what he was doing this time, while making sure to keep her eyes glowing on the off chance someone remembered her eyes were supposed to violet and not hazel. He appeared to be just standing there, firing a laser gun at seemingly random buildings. As usual, his only plan seemed to be 'cause destruction and have fun doing it.'

Villains these days.

Before Raven could act, a birdarang struck his hand, and the gun flew from his grasp.

"Hey!" Johnny Rancid shouted indignantly, as Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy surrounded from all sides.

"You're going down, Johnny," Robin declared.

"Don't hold your breath, Bird Boy," Rancid smirked. "_Get 'em!"_

Unlike the last time they'd seen Johnny, with that metal mutt, he'd come with real dogs; ten, very angry, very real Rottweilers. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robin opt for his bo staff over his explosives, and Cyborg withdraw his Sonic cannon – none of them wanted to seriously hurt dogs that were just being used by Johnny. Raven pulled up a semi shield as the first dog sprang towards her leg, and another as a second dog aimed for her waist. This went on for a little bit, the dogs lunging toward her, jaws opened wide, and Raven stepping back with a new partial shield to block them. Finally, Raven broke the pattern by telekinetically picking up a trashcan and ramming into one of the dogs sides, knocking him into the other dog. After a moment, both dogs got up and shook themselves briefly, before stalking towards her, growling, teeth barred. Raven picked up a loose piece of concrete that Johnny Rancid had knocked from some building or another, and prepared to throw it… but couldn't. She'd never known an animal to be naturally vicious. If an animal killed or injured another animal, it was because it was hungry, or because it was protecting itself or its young. These Rottweilers weren't protecting young, and she sincerely hoped they weren't hoping to eat them. They were most likely just angry from being abused and misled – probably by Johnny. Raven dropped the piece of concrete, and in a commanding tone she shouted in Azarian, "_Enough!_" The two dogs quit their circling, but they still looked ready to pounce. "_Stop. Sit."_ When they did not listen, Raven allowed her second pair of eyes to flash through. "_**Sit.**_" The dogs obeyed this time, heads bowed and whimpering. "_I am ashamed of you."_ Raven said, crossing her arms. "_You are attacking total strangers, and on the orders of a human? A human who is cruel to you, and does not love you, nor anyone but himself? Do you really want to be thought of as mean and vicious so you can be dragged down with this guy?"_ She must have gotten through to them, because the lay on their stomachs now, the picture of submission. "Good dogs." She said in English, before turning to see how the rest of her team was doing. Starfire was hovering just out of the dogs reach, pleading with them, and sending warning star bolts. Cyborg was bodily catching and throwing the dogs whenever they came too close. As she watched, a Rottweiler managed to catch Robin in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Robin shoved his bo staff in between the dogs jaws pushing it away from his throat, and flipped it off of him, rising to his feet in time to kick another dog away from him as Johnny Rancid laughed not 10 yards away. Beast Boy had turned into a rattlesnake, and was shaking his rattle in warning.

"_Stop!"_ she tried, but she might as well have said it in English, seeing as they ignored her anyway. To their credit, the two dogs who had been attacking her earlier barked at their comrades too, but again were ignored. Raven looked over at where Beast-Boy-the-Rattlesnake was still keeping the dogs at bay with his exposed fangs and the occasional hiss. That actually wasn't a bad idea…

**"**_**Stop that right now, or I will feed your livers to Cerberus himself!"** _She tried, this time in Demonic Parseltongue. The dogs, of course, had no idea what she had said, but they knew what an angry snake sounded like, and Raven had just done a pretty good imitation. If a three and a half foot long diamondback made a dog wary, than the prospect of a human sized version sent them running for the hills. The other Titans looked bewildered, but none more so than Johnny Rancid, who stared in the direction they had run with his mouth agape.

"Uh-oh" he said, right before a massive green triceratops rammed into him. He was punched by a metal fist, knocked backwards by a bolt of glowing green energy, and kicked hard in the head before finally falling backwards in a dead faint, where he was tied down by creeping black tendrils.

"Dude! How did you do that?" Beast Boy asked.

"Magic," Raven said simply.

"Um… right," Robin said, before switching to his leader voice. "We should get back to school as quickly as possible… Raven do you think you could watch Rancid while we get the dogs?"

She waved him off, "Just go back to school. I'll take care of the dogs - it's better we're not _all_ gone too long."

Robin nodded, "Titans, move out."

Raven looked at the two remaining dogs. "_Do you think you could get your friends to come back? I'd rather you guys go to a shelter than run around on the streets."_ Seeing the looks on their faces, she added persuasively "_In shelters they don't have fleas…_" That did the trick. Within five minutes the cops had shown up and collected Rancid, and they'd contacted the Humane Society before they left. Unfortunately, the Humane shelter was on the outskirts of Jump City, all the way across town, so it was another twenty minutes before they came and she was finally able to teleport back to Morvan's. The dorm room was thankfully empty when she got there, but that wouldn't be the case for long.

As quickly as possible, she changed out of her uniform, washed some of the skin-powder from her face so that it looked almost as gray as normal, and grabbed from the compartments of her uniform belt some herbs that she would normally use to help heal people. Then she sprinted down to the first floor, thanking Azar when she only had to avoid one teacher, and burst into the girls bathroom, bee lining for the handicap stall. Sighing – she knew this was going to be unpleasant, but it was necessary for the sake of her cover – she put the dried leaves in her mouth and chewed them, helping them go down her throat with some tap water. She didn't have to wait long before she felt the contents of her stomach begin to rise…

)o(

The clinic lady was a plump, middle-aged woman, dressed in cheerful, cartoon-covered scrubs, with a mop of frizzled brown hair.

"Have you had any health issues in the past week? Coughing, sneezing, stomach problems, aches?" Nurse Joyce asked as she took Ava's temperature.

Ava shook her head. "Ninety-nine-point-two - only a minor fever. Does this happen to you often? Have you recently started a new medication?" Ava shook her head again, not trusting herself to open her mouth. She'd barely used a pinch worth of herbs, but they were _strong_. If she ever used them again, she'd know to use only a half pinch.

"Did you have milk for lunch?" This time Ava nodded. "And that's when you first started feeling nauseous?"

Another nod.

"I think I know what the problem is, Ava. You said the nausea started at the beginning of the period, so that'd be about two hours after lunch, which sounds like Lactose Intolerance. There's nothing I can do except let you lie down and wait for your stomach to settle down." Another student came in at that point, and Nurse Joyce started searching the cabinets for something. Apparently, this student _was _on medication, because the student leant his head backwards and Nurse Joyce gave him some eye drops, before locking the bottle back in the cabinet and retreating into her office. There was a moment of awkward silence between them before the boy decided to break it.

"My name's Kyle." Kyle said, his head still tilted at an odd angle so that the drops wouldn't come out of his eye. "What's your name?"

"Ava," Raven said, opening her mouth quickly and shutting it even faster.

"I have Eyeritis," he continued conversationally, "My left iris is inflamed, so they're giving me all these drops, but apparently, that has nothing to do with the bobbing white light in the corner of my eye. Weird, huh?" He must have absorbed enough of the medication at that point, because he returned his head to its normal position and grabbed a tissue, dabbing at the edge of his eye… his extremely dilated eye.

"So what about you? Why are you in the clinic?" Kyle asked. Azar, it was amazing how weird that one, little feature could be. It almost made him seem off balance, with one big black pupil and one normal blue iris…

"Are you alright?" Kyle asked the peculiarly grayish girl whose gaze somehow seemed… fuzzy. Without any warning, the girl named Ava sprang from the cot and sprinted towards the large gray trashcan. Oh, so _that_ was why she was in the clinic. Thank god the bell rang at the point; the sounds that girl was producing were starting to make _him_ gag.

)o(

Sometime during the thirty minutes between class and dinner, Ava finally managed to quell the nausea, though she had stopped actually vomiting _stuff_ long before. With a note and several tic tacs, Ava left the clinic and headed towards Mrs. Goode's class. Thankfully she was still there, entering grades into the computer. She looked up in surprise when she heard someone enter the classroom.

"Ava Nevar, I didn't see you in class today. Why was that?" Mrs. Goode asked. Ava handed her the slip of paper Nurse Joyce had given her, and almost immediately her face took on an expression of sympathy. "Oh you poor dear… originally I assigned two pages of math, but why don't you just do the 'Put it all Together' section. I'll go get you a textbook, you can study the lesson in section 2-6, and if you have any questions you can ask me during lunch, okay?"

Ava just nodded, and accepted the book and the sticky note with the assignment and lesson on them, and then she gladly followed Mrs. Goode out the door – and away from those confounded pink lights – when the bell for dinner wrung.

Raven briefly considered following her down to the cafeteria, and meeting Anja and Charlie there, but decided she really didn't feel like eating, so there wasn't much too justify going down there and being pummeled by a few hundred minds. Instead, she just went to her dorm to lie down some more.

)o(

It was hard to believe that the kids in the King's Room all presumably had powers like Anja's. They looked so… normal. Certainly, none of them looked – or felt – like they were in a constant struggle for control. It must be nice, having powers that were innate. Anja kept glancing at her, but other than that, the homework session passed quietly. She might have actually managed to get one or two math questions right this time.

"So where were you?" Anja asked as soon as they left.

"Clinic. I threw up… multiple times," Raven explained, watching with something like amusement as Anja took a big step away from her. "Relax, I'm not contagious. The nurse thinks I'm lactose intolerant. I think it was the chicken." Anja laughed, though she still maintained a little bit of distance.

They went through the same routines as yesterday night, brushing their teeth quickly before the bathroom became crowded, except this time Raven watched more carefully. It was as she had feared – there was not enough time before curfew for everyone to change in the bathroom. The other girls just changed by their beds. Shoot.

Doing her best to ignore the other chatting, giggling, eleven girls in the room, Ava unpacked her pajamas – a plain purple tee shirt and blue pajama bottoms – and turned her back on the rest of the room. She was able to use her school cloak sort of like a curtain as she changed pants, but no such luck on shirts.

In the bed next to hers, Charlie had noticed her discomfort, and couldn't resist the urge to tease her. "Oh, just change, we're all girls." When Ava just frowned, Charlie responded with "You know I'm going to watch you change now, just to make you uncomfortable, right?" Raven glared at her, but Charlotte just smiled sweetly. Ava turned a bit farther from her, removing her cloak and tee shirt, before swiftly replacing it with the pajama top, but apparently she hadn't changed fast enough, because Charlie's next comment made her freeze.

"Hey, you have abs! Do you do sports too?" Of course she had 'abs.' They all did, more from Robin's training than actual combat. But normal kids didn't fight super villains on a daily basis, and if she said she did sports then she'd probably end up having to play Charlie at soccer, or basketball or something. So naturally, she said the first idea to pop into her head.

"I take Ballet," she blurted.

Before anything else could be said, Matron stuck her hand through the door. "Lights out!" She barked.

Raven swore she could hear someone snicker in the darkness.

)o(

The next day in Art, Raven found someone else had set up an easel right next to hers. "Hey, you're the new girl in our dorm, right? My name's Jaya," Jinx said

"Ava," Raven replied, looking at her suspiciously. Yesterday she hadn't seen hide, nor hair, of Jinx, and today she was introducing herself?

"So, you're a Ballerina, eh?" 'Jaya' asked, amusement thick in her tone.

"Apparently. Why didn't you talk to me yesterday?"

Jinx shrugged. "Habit, I guess. The deal is that I don't have to go to jail as long as I use my powers for good and become a super hero, and I'm going to become one, but I want to finish school first. I needed to make sure you weren't here for me." She muttered, busying her hands with preparing her paints and brushes, and carefully watching everyone in earshot. "So if not for me, why are you here?"

"The Mayor has requested that the Titans go undercover. He thinks super villains have infiltrated the school system," Raven explained under her breath, "We're to find them, gather proof, and report them. That's it. We're not here for you."

"Why Morvan's Academy, though?" Jinx asked.

"One: It's a relatively small school. Hundreds of people, versus _thousands_ of people. Two: There have been some strange events occurring around your school. I'm trying to find out why… though I think I've got a good idea about _whose_ causing all the strangeness."

"You really can be anti-social, sometimes. I hope you know that. But you won't find any of the usual villains here – by now, I'd have recognized them – but some of those Endowed kids are bad enough in their own right."

"Know any specifics?"

Jinx thought a moment, "Well, I don't know of all of them, but Delany is Dr. Morvan's daughter. Rumor is that she's some sort of alchemist. And Amelia, the pale one with the dreadlocks, she's practically glued to Delany's side. I don't know what she can do, though. Some say she can hypnotize you, others say she can read your mind. Maybe she does both, who knows? Other than that, I've got nothing."

"An alchemist, great," Raven grumbled, half to herself. "Could you do me a favor, and keep your eyes open?"

Jinx sighed, "I suppose just being a normal student is a little too much to ask. Sure, count me in."

**)o(**

**Author's Anecdote: Once upon a time there was a little girl, who was just walking into her school, and you could just see the little cartoon birds smiling, and everything was La-Dee-Da, but then it wasn't La-Dee-Da, and the teacher said 'Go to the Clinic," and the little girl ran to the clinic, where she promptly vomited into the trashcan and then was taken home by her mother, where she was apparently perfectly fine. The little girl was like 'what the heck?' and happily went to school the next day without being sick. The End.**

**Author's Note: I have no idea why I told you that story, but whatever. I'm just happy I finished this, as within the hour, I will be on the way to the airport, and my Hiatus shall officially begin. Sorry. Anyways, the lesson of the anecdote: sometimes people randomly throw up for no apparent reason. And that might have been what happened to Ava (as far as Nurse Joyce, haha, knows) but she is going to try and give it a logical reason, because that's what humans do. We try to explain. Like the eye doctor, who found I had Eyeritis/Iritis when I told him there was a funny white light in my eye, even though they apparently had nothing to with each other :P**

**Anyway, don't eat strange plants, because the result will be unpleasant, and sometimes it will be bad even if they aren't **_**strange**_** plants :P **

…

**I am obviously blethering, but to the point of the matter: I hoped you liked it, and I hope that you will all send me reviews telling how awesome/terrible it was… though if you think it's terrible, I must inquire as to why you've read this far without saying anything. O.o **

_**REVIEW! **_

**p.s. this is my longest chapter yet… BOOYAH! =D**


	7. Meanwhile

**A/N - I am a horrible author-person... I'm REALLY sorry I didn't update this until now! I could give you a lot of excuses for why my hiatus lasted roughly 382 days longer than I thought it would (writer's block, school, TSA, writer's block, other fanfics, another fandom, TSA...) but I guess the important thing is that while I can't promise that all those people who read it months ago will still like it, I'll finish it anyway. Special thanks to The Midnight Huntress, lildip14, Maiden of Hyrule, and NIGHTINGALE for making me aware that 'Azar! People are still reading this!?'**

**So without further ado: **

* * *

><p>Robin automatically looked up when he first heard the cackling. For a moment – just a moment – he thought of the Joker. But it was not the Joker's laugh that he heard - for one thing, it was too musical and definitely feminine. For another, he was currently sitting outside the Cafeteria eating lunch at one of a dozen picnic tables. Still, he was at Bayview High School for the sole purpose of investigating, so he decided to investigate the strange and unceasing laughter. Robin slid to the end of his table and waited until the two teachers who were assigned to chaperoning this lunch period looked deeply engrossed in their conversation before he ducked behind a low hedge. From behind the shrubbery, he military crawled to the portables, where he ran in a low crouch until he cleared the first portable.<p>

It was there that he found her.

She had long golden curls and was standing with her face to the wall. Despite the laughter, she was knocking her head against the rough wooden paneling of the structure, and when Robin got a glimpse of her face, he saw that it was twisted into one of despair.

"Are you alright?"

The girl jumped and stared at Robin in shock. After considering him for a moment, she timidly shook her head no, laughing all the while.

"Why can't you stop laughing?" Robin asked, unconsciously going into interrogation mode despite actually being concerned.

The girl hesitated for a second before opening her mouth to answer, but not a word came out of her mouth; a particularly extreme bout of giggles had burst from her throat, and she bent double as the sound turned into wheezing. For a moment, Robin thought she was going to asphyxiate before his very eyes, but after a long moment she straightened. There were tears in her eyes, and Robin got the distinct impression that she had been laughing for a long time, and it _hurt._

The girl motioned for Robin to come closer, and they knelt in front of a bare patch of dirt under the rain gutter. The girl placed one hand on the wall to support herself. With the other, she broke off the brittle stem of a long-dead weed and drew a shaky figure in the dirt.

Robin frowned, twisting slightly to see it better. It was, for the most part, a typical stick figure - except it looked like it had wings…

"Is that a… pixie? A fairy?" Robin certainly hadn't been expecting that.

The girl must have interpreted his surprise as skepticism, for when he looked up again, her face was red and she wouldn't meet his gaze.

Robin measured his next words carefully, realizing that if he phrased this wrong, she might think he was mocking her. "I have a friend who knows a lot about magic, and the occult, and things like that," He said, slowly. "If you want, I could ask her if she could help."

It was the girl's turn to look surprised. She stared at him a moment, trying to discern whether he was serious or not. Finding no trace of mocking in his demeanor, she nodded emphatically. Then she paused, as if something were occurring to her. Pointing to herself, she wrote a single word in the dirt: _Ella._

Robin smiled. "I'm Ryan."

Ella seemed to be calming down slightly, the chest-wracking fits of laughter reducing to uncontrollable giggles. Faintly, Robin heard the school bell ring and he stood up, brushing sand off his jeans.

"It was nice meeting you, Ella. See you here Monday?" Ella nodded, and Robin smiled before taking off at a jog. He really didn't want to be late for Mrs. Stickler's class…

)o(

Sitting through Mad Mod's class was torture; 'Mr. Modd' kept insulting American English and the students intelligence, all while maintaining that the he was better simply because he was older.

Even more tortuous was the fact that neither Starfire nor Beast Boy could do anything about it. He was, technically, not doing illegal at the moment, and besides, they were undercover. They couldn't expose themselves and attack a teacher for merciless picking apart of grammar and excessive correction of comma placement.

"Because you sprogs can't seem to grasp the concept of the simple sentence, we're going to spend the next ninety minutes_ relearning the entire lesson!"_

A collective groan rose from English III, period 2. Only three kids refrained from moaning; Beast Boy, who was asleep; Starfire, who was trying to wake up Beast Boy before Mad Mod noticed; and that nerdy girl in the back whom everyone knew was desperately brainstorming a way to convince the guidance counselors to reschedule her into an Honors class.

"Rule Number One; a sentence is not a sentence until it has at least one independent clause. Rule Number Two; a clause is not a clause until it has a subject and a verb. Rule Number Three; if there is more than one independent clause, then it's not Simple. _Why are you not taking this down?"_

There was a sudden scrambling for note paper and pencils, and the sound of less-prepared students attempting to mooch pencils, paper, and erasers from their peers was enough to cover Beast Boy's sudden exclamation of 'But I hate English muffins!'

"Sniveling ankle biters, the lot of them…" He muttered to himself – though half the class heard anyway. Most of them had no idea what 'sniveling' meant, but they figured that anyone who came up with a term as weird as 'ankle biters' must have a few screws loose and thus inferred that they were being insulted by a loony.

"As I was saying, Rule Number Four; always use a comma after prepositional phrases but never before a conjunction unless you have a subject _and_ a verb. And speaking of commas, Rule Number Six is that the Oxford Comma is _never_ optional."

At this, the nerdy girl in the back looked up in surprise. "But sir," she started, "the Oxford Comma has to do with listing things, not sentence structures - and what happened to Rule Number Five?"

Mad Mod froze, and turned slowly to glare at the girl who dared interrupt when teacher was talking.

"I. Hate. The number. Five," he ground out. "And respect your elders! I'm older, so therefore I'm better, smarter, and _right._"

The offender looked close to tears after being yelled at by a teacher, even though the indignance on her face shone clear. If she was indignant, however, than Starfire was righteously furious. Thankfully, at that moment the fire alarm began blaring from the corner, and Mr. Modd belatedly recalled that there was a fire drill scheduled for today.

"Everyone out," he growled, bringing his palm to his face in exaggeration. "Orderly, now duckies – off with the lot of you!" He continued, shooing them out of his classroom and slamming the door shut after the last person had left. He did not bother to walk his class to the parking lot.

)o(

Cyborg looked suspiciously over the heads of the cafeteria crowd. For a second he could have sworn he'd seen a short little bald kid who resembled Gizmo. He didn't have time to reflect on that, however, as another student joined the back of the lunch-line.

"Hiya!" Said the girl, who was dressed in a similar uniform to his own.

"Uh, hello…" Cyborg said awkwardly, not sure if he'd actually met this girl before or if she thought that he was someone else. He'd met a lot of kids this past week, something he hadn't done in a while. It was a little weird to see more than five people on a regular basis.

"My name's Riley - Riley Schultz. I'm new here. What's your name?"

Oh, good, so they didn't know each other yet. "Vaughn Pearson," Cyborg said, giving the girl the fake alias he'd chosen for this mission. "Nice t'meet ya," he smiled.

)o(

Starfire and Beast Boy followed Mad Mod's car all the way to the edge of the docks, where he parked. He was old and slow compared to the bustling sailors and dockhands, making him easy to follow.

Together they watched as he slowly made his way to an empty warehouse; predictable.

Thirty seconds after Mad Mod had entered the warehouse, a small green swallow and a green-eyed Tameranian girl were tucked into the eaves of the warehouse, peering through the grimy windows at the scene below.

A few seconds later the lights came to life, revealing just what Mad Mod was up to; an army of robots decked out in Union flags.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes at the unoriginality of it all – or at least he would have, if he wasn't currently a sparrow – and Starfire used her communicator to take several pictures of Mad Mod and his British iron-clads.

)o(

On Friday afternoon the students of Morvan's Academy were finally allowed to go home. Delaney watched them go from her bedroom window, a massive wave of blue, green, and purple cloaks. Within five minutes the last late-stragglers had boarded the three color-coded buses, and within another thirty seconds the vehicles had departed.

When Delany was a little girl, her grandmother told her stories about faeries from this very window. As they stared over the square and the city beyond, her Abuela would whisper in hushed tones stories of kelpies and morgen, brownies and hobgoblins. The fae had not been kind to her grandmother. Abuela told her of the terrible tricks they'd played on her - but first she'd made her wear a necklace of rowan and place an iron cross underneath her pillow, just in case the wee folk attempted any tricks on Delaney. The fae had always enjoyed playing tricks on mortals, particularly those with the Sight. Abuela had been no exception. In fact, she had tried to tell other people, but the pranks had simply become more malevolent until she finally gave up.

The square was empty now. Almost. A single woman, beautiful even from this height, was pushing a cart full of flowers and plants in a wide circle around the cathedral.

The only reason Abuela had told her granddaughter was in case_ her_ children had the Sight. Delaney came to hate the fae, at first because of making her grandmother helpless, and then because she couldn't see them or tell when they were playing tricks on hapless mortals. She would not become her grandmother.

)o(

**A/N - So... anyone know where Cyborg's name came from? I think I mentioned it earlier, but I'm not using the official names because they're on a mission and thus always at risk of exposure. I tried to make all the names similar, but not too much so. I realize the faerie thing seems kinda out of left field, and is not really part of either TT or CB, but in that sequel/prequel series, the Chronicles of the Red King, there are these creatures which could very easily fit in with the Unseelie Court, so maybe it's not completely AU yet... and in any event, it's the only way I can think of to continue the plot (and I've had more than a year to think) so yeah...**

**NIGHTINGALE: iGracias mi primo! :)**

**Sporks - I hope you've gotten back into your account! Lol, I'm glad you like her (and him) Thanks, my original-intended hiatus was indeed fun, and I promise to refrain from eating plants and earwax.**

** Angelic Toaster - Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, not only for the compliment, but for also noticing that the plot was dragging (because at that point, there wasn't really a plot yet...)**

**The Odd One95 - I'm so sorry! I failed you as an atuhor-person! ;_;**

**Also:**

**Good news - I have the next chapter mostly outlined, somewhat written, and I have a general idea now what I'm doing with this story. I've also had a year with a most excellent English teacher who taught me much in the way of grammar. Comma splices be gone!**

**Bad news - I start school tomorrow. Nghhhhh...**


End file.
